Ahead of the Thursday morning release of the Mueller report, Attorney General Bill Barr discussed the Justice Department’s actions leading up to the report’s release and reiterate the Mueller team’s principal conclusions, going as far as to personally hammer the liberal media for their rampant, years-long “relentless speculation....about the President's personal culpability.”
Barr noted that “it is important to bear in mind the context” as “President Trump faced an unprecedented situation” because from the moment he became President, “federal agents and prosecutors were scrutinizing his conduct before and after taking office and the conduct of some of his associates.”
It was here that he dropped the hammer on the liberal media for not only their armchair quarterbacking but the leaks to the press (click “expand”):
At the same time, there was relentless speculation in the news media about the President's personal culpability. Yet as he said from the beginning, there was in fact no collusion and as the special counsel's report acknowledges, there is substantial evidence to show that the President was frustrated and angered by his sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents and fueled by illegal leaks. Nonetheless, the White House fully cooperated with the special counsel's investigation, providing unfettered access to campaign and White House documents, directing senior aides to testify freely, and asserting no privilege claims. And at the same time, the President took no act that, in fact, deprived the special counsel of the documents and witnesses necessary to complete his investigation. Apart from whether the acts were obstructive, this evidence of non-corrupt motives weighs heavily against any allegations that the President had a corrupt intent to obstruct the investigation.
Moments before that, Barr reiterated: “Thanks to the special counsel's thorough investigation, we now know that the Russian operatives who perpetrated these schemes did not have the cooperation of President Trump or the Trump campaign or the knowing assistance of any other American.”
Barr added:
As the special counsel report makes clear, the Russian government sought to interfere in our election process. But thanks to the special counsel's thorough investigation, we now know that the Russian operatives who perpetrated these schemes did not have the cooperation of president trump or the trump campaign or the knowing assistance of any other American for that matter. That is something that all Americans can and should be grateful to have confirmed.
But if one had been watching the liberal media for the past two years, it’s tough to say that they’re “grateful” that there wasn’t any Trump-Russia collusion or collusion between American citizens and Russian operatives.
To see the relevant transcript from Attorney General Barr’s press conference, click “expand.”
CBS News Special
April 18, 2019
9:44:22 a.m. Eastern
1 minute and 36 secondsBILL BARR: In assessing the President's actions discussed in the report, it is important to bear in mind the context. President Trump faced an unprecedented situation. As he entered into office and sought to perform his responsibilities as President, federal agents and prosecutors were scrutinizing his conduct before and after taking office and the conduct of some of his associates. At the same time, there was relentless speculation in the news media about the President's personal culpability. Yet as he said from the beginning, there was in fact no collusion and as the special counsel's report acknowledges, there is substantial evidence to show that the President was frustrated and angered by his sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents and fueled by illegal leaks. Nonetheless, the White House fully cooperated with the special counsel's investigation, providing unfettered access to campaign and White House documents, directing senior aides to testify freely, and asserting no privilege claims. And at the same time, the President took no act that, in fact, deprived the special counsel of the documents and witnesses necessary to complete his investigation. Apart from whether the acts were obstructive, this evidence of non-corrupt motives weighs heavily against any allegations that the President had a corrupt intent to obstruct the investigation.
